Dog fouling campaign gathers pace

Denbighshire County Council's campaign against dog fouling is gathering pace, with 97 people receiving fixed penalty notices for allowing their dogs to foul in public without cleaning up the mess since January 2015.

Ninety-five people paid their fine within the given time period.

Action was taken after an individual failed to pay their fixed penalty notices for allowing dogs to foul in public.

This meant that the council needed to pursue the matter through the courts process.

A case heard at Llandudno Magistrates Court where the matter was proved in their absence. The defendant was fined £75, costs of £145 and a victim surcharge of £20.

There were also 43 prosecutions against people who had received a Fixed Penalty Notice for littering by dropping cigarette butts. The amount of fines issued by the court (including court costs and victim surcharge) totalled over £9,000.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet lead Member for Environment, said: "The majority of the residents of Denbighshire act in a responsible manner by cleaning the mess left by their animals.

"However, there continues to be this anti-social behaviour from a minority of people who think it's ok to leave dog mess. Not only is this anti-social but it also affects the visual image of the area and the quality of life for residents.

"That is why the Council has been running a campaign, to educate the public about the dangers, but also to enforce the law where people are willingly refusing to clean up after their animals.

"Littering is also a problem that has been highlighted as a concern by residents and we are asking people to take their rubbish home with them or use the bins provided on the county's streets.

"Taking action through the courts is very much a last resort - we would prefer not to need to issue fixed penalty notices in the first instance."

* To report problems with dog fouling in Denbighshire, go to: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/dogfouling or call the Customer Services Centre, on 01824 706101.